Picture Of Xbox One Sells For $735 … Oops!

A word to the wise: if youāre going to purchase items on eBay, you really need to pay attention. Peter Clatworthy, a teenager from the Nottingham area, paid Ā£450 (approximately $735) for a picture of an Xbox One. To add insult to injury, it wasnāt even a nice photograph — just a crummy, ink-streaked printout with the words āThank You For Your Purchaseā scrawled across the back. According to an interview on Nottingham Post, Clatworthy had noticed that the itemās sale description did indeed list it as a picture of an Xbox One, but he assumed the console itself would come with it because the listing was posted under the Video Games and Consoles section of eBay. No one on the Internet would ever try to scam him out of his money … right? To his credit, Clatworthy has been a fantastic sport about the whole thing, playing right along with the inevitable hordes of prepubescent, self-acclaimed internet judges slamming down their digital gavels to cries of āmoron!ā Instead of trying to fight back or save face, he smiles and moves right along. According to the interview, the only reason he came to the Post was to warn others of similar holiday-season scams. Obviously, not everyone has chosen to believe that, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Were he the attention-monger that some people accuse him of being, I doubt heād be taking all the heat in such good stride.

Good on you, Clatworthy.

Fortunately, with some assistance from eBay, Clatworthy was able to reclaim his ill-spent pounds. The user responsible for the scam in the first place was banned from the website. Some might argue that, strictly speaking, this seller did nothing wrong. After all, he spelled out exactly what it was that he was selling in the item description. In the most literal sense, Clatworthy got just what he paid for.

Regardless of whether you think him victim or fool, the story still stands as a warning to all of us as we enter this season of spending. Online shopping has completely transformed the market, but thereās always a need to exercise caution. Whether itās Amazon, eBay, or Overstock, be sure to do your homework.

Interestingly enough, this isnāt the first time Clatworthy has been in the Nottingham Post, mind you. When he was twelve-years old, he managed to subdue a drunk driver attempting to flee the scene of an accident using moves heād learned during judo class. Honestly, Iām kind of jealous. Every twelve-year old who has taken martial arts, no matter how self-disciplined they are, at some point imagines themselves using mad ninja skills to save the day.

Unfortunately, you canāt sweep-kick a bad bid. At least you can get your money back.